I've finally decided to take the plunge and try my hand at rod making. I'm not looking to get too fancy off the start, but I'd like to know what tools you guys think are essential to do the job. By tools, I mean actual hardware, not thread, epoxy, etc.

I'm probably gonna get a rod wrapper or dryer. Do I need a cork reamer? What about files, drills, sandpaper, other stuff? Also, whats the best site to acquire rod making supplies?

Utmost enterprises gets a % off Batson blanks and components etc as well as perhaps Pac Bay. If you email them they are very helpful and charge actual shipping. Also used blanks from Ye Old English Fly Shop and like them, good blanks for the cost, made one for my wife and one for myself. To Rip Tide's list I'd also add Acid Rod. Depending on what you are looking for Golden Witch has some great components. They might focus more on bamboo, but I also like getting stripping guides from them. Most of the stripping guides page is agate but near the bottom are some great ones for graphite rods.

I've used blanks, both graphite and bamboo, from Angler's Roost and they are fine, personally I'd use snake brand guides though. Great quality and the guide feet sit very well on the blank without having to do a bunch of prep work. They cost more but they are worth it. Here is their site or Proof Fly fishing is another place to get them. Matt got me into fishing and is distributor for Snake Brand and also sell quality cork if you want to turn your own grip otherwise most of the other sites sell pre-made grips.

Building a wrapper is very very easy and pretty cheap. Here are some plans.

dean_mt

06-11-2013 12:22 PM

Re: Starting out - Tool list

In addition to Rip's list of suppliers, and Acid Rod (which I like a lot) as William mentioned , Dan Craft is great dealer. His website is rather large and clunky, but if you give him a call he's very helpful.

In addition to Rip's list of suppliers, and Acid Rod (which I like a lot) as William mentioned , Dan Craft is great dealer. His website is rather large and clunky, but if you give him a call he's very helpful.

Yeah looks like a nice cheaper model. I plan to make a spey rod after I get the hang of things. Will this and similar models work when wrapping longer speys? Or will I need a bigger tool geared for those applications?

half fast

06-11-2013 07:14 PM

Re: Starting out - Tool list

It's been many many years since I built a rod, but I used to get by with a zero cost wrapper. I cut a couple of notches in a shoe box to support the blank, then placed the spool of thread in a small box so it could freespool and not go anywhere. Then I ran the thread through the pages of a large book en route to the blank to apply tension. Tension was easily adjusted by the number of pages on top of the thread.

Worked perfectly. I'm still fishing with an Orvis that I built that way.